STANDISH PLANNING BOARD MEETING MINUTES

                                                              Standish Planning Board

                                                                     Meeting Minutes

                                                                     January 09, 2023

The Standish Planning Board meeting was called to order by Chairman Charles Brown at 6:00pm. Present were Chris Struebing, Andrew Walton, Joleen Whittemore, Deb Boxer, Town Planner Scott Hastings and Jackie Dyer, Admin to Town Planner and Planning Board. Absent were Derek Wright and Frank Nappi.

Open Meeting

           a.        Call to order -Chairman Charles Brown

           b.       Opening Statement from Planning Board Chairman Charles Brown

After his opening statement, Mr. Brown said that because of the two items of new business and the number of people here, the meeting will go until 9:00pm if possible and with nothing new starting after that and that people that wanted to speak on either application, would be given a limit of 3 minutes, with that being timed by Mrs. Dyer.

           c.        Declaration of a Quorum (5)

Approval of Meeting Minutes from December 05, 2022

Mrs. Whittemore made a motion seconded by Mr. Struebing to approve the meeting minutes, with a few minor corrections. All in favor.

Approval of Finding of Fact:

• Dianne & Chad Nason, 27 Bonny Eagle Pond Rd, Map 22, Lots 21,38-Shoreland Zoning Application to remove existing structure and build a single-family residence

Mrs. Whittemore made a motion seconded by Mr. Walton to approve the Finding of Fact. All in favor.

New Business:

• Rick Richardson, 167 Whites Point Road, Map 57, Lot 10-Shoreland Zoning Application to demo existing dwelling and construct a single-family dwelling with attached garage

Dustin Roma from DM Roma Consulting Engineers was present to represent the Richardson’s. He said that the Richardson’s would like to demolish the existing house and build a new single-family dwelling with an attached garage. He said the existing structure is a little over 1900 square feet and completely within the hundred-foot set back from the lake. Dustin said that on one side, they need to move it a few feet to make it compliant. He said the existing septic has a pump station and they have put them on a new plan which he gave to all members of the Board and the Planner.

He said the only difference on this plan is that it shows the trees to be removed and the septic. Dustin said they are planning on working with the CEO and Portland Water District with a plan to replant. He said they are creating a canopy over the house. Dustin said the area highlighted in orange is where the existing building is and it’s around 420 square feet and approximately a 12-foot drop from the water. He said that the new building will be located further away from the lake. Dustin said that they need to relocate a drainage pipe on the property that currently runs under the house. Dustin said that sections of the pipe had been replaced and there have been a number of issues with the current pipe and flooding.  He said the new pipe would come at an angle and go around the side of the house and it will be a bigger sized pipe. He said that if any trouble should occur with the new pipe and drainage, it will be easier to fix as it will be much easier to get to.

Dustin said they are not doing any modifications to the septic and driveway. He said that they received a letter from an abutter, the Stacks, about the flooding situations on the road. He said the flooding issues are caused by the pipe capacity and that is why they are doing a complete rebuild of the drainage and adding a bigger culvert. He said that it’s a unique situation with the pipe being put under the building. He feels relocating this drainage will be a much better solution and getting it out from under the structure. He said he knows that several of the Board members have seen this site and know about the occurring flooding. He said there will be no increase in the building’s height. He said they are proposing to locate the new structure in about the same place, with one corner moving a few inches to meet the required setback.

Mr. Hastings said he feels this application has been done very thoroughly. He said that drainage has been a big issue with this lot and feels that the new drainage system will make the situation much better in the long run. Mr. Hastings said that pretty much everything the Board has is on the plan. Mr. Whittemore asked how old the existing septic is and Mr. Roma said that it existed when the owner bought the property and doesn’t feel it is very old. Mr. Roma said it was installed prior to 2002, so he feels it was installed in the late 1990’s. Mr. Hastings said that there is room on the lot if they needed to replace the septic. He said the current system is for four bedrooms, but he doesn’t have the existing HHE200. Mrs. Boxer said that Portland Water District should have the most recent HHE200. Mr. Roma said that there was nothing at DHHS for this property and this information came from the former owner.

Mrs. Boxer said she would like to see the HHE200 and when was the last time this was expanded and by how much? Mrs. Whittemore said we just need to know up until 1989 and Mr. Brown said anything before that is grandfathered. Mr. Roma said they determined that this structure has been there since before 1989. Mrs. Boxer asked for them to get a paper when it was built, and Mrs. Whittemore said that she is okay with what is before us. Mr. Hastings said the current language that is on the books is important before 1989. Mrs. Boxer said the drainage pattern is different on the two surveys. She said she would like the DEP to look at the drainage system and a permit by rule as to whether this drainage was within the Shoreland zone. Mr. Roma said the Richardson’s already had DEP on site a year ago when some substantial flooding was happening. Mr. Roma said the water completely dries up in the Spring. Mr. Roma said the drainage has been clogged a few times and this past Spring they were not sure why or what had clogged the pipe. Mr. Brown asked about a screen over the inlet pipe and Mr. Roma said they are not as concerned about the new drainage, but said he feels that would it not be a bad idea. Mr. Roma said the site plan he did doesn’t reflect the other property on the opposite side of the road where the garage and shed are. He said this was his oversite and he would make sure it is on the final plan. Mr. Brown asked about the drainage and Mr. Roma said it goes behind the shed and the garage will sit right on the edge of the new drainage.

Mrs. Boxer asked if the structure could be moved back more when they rebuild. Mr. Roma said the septic pump, tank and leach field are right behind the proposed structure and they are moving back around 7 feet, leaving about 10 feet between the pump station and leach field. Mrs. Boxer asked about having someone from DEP out there and to look at the sight again. Mr. Roma said that DEP has already been there and getting them there again might not be possible. Mr. Roma said the entry and exit of the drainage is not changing, but the existing pipe will be replaced with a much larger one. Mr. Brown said they are using a catch basin with a pump and Mr. Roma said these usually work with no complications. Mrs. Boxer said that the shed sits on top of the stream and the drainage goes up hill. Mr. Roma said that the east to west drainage has not changed. He said the pipe behind the garage drains from the wetland behind the shed and the garage.

Mr. Brown said the existing ground section is 262 with six feet of drop, maybe four. Mrs. Boxer said that if the drainage problem is being fixed, that hopefully it will fix everything. She said the lady that works for Portland Water District used to work for DEP and would be knowledgeable about this. Mr. Roma said that no corners are being cut with fixing this problem and Richardson’s stand to gain the most from this. Mr. Brown asked if Roger Mosley had looked at this and Mr. Hastings said he didn’t think so. Mr. Brown said he feels that Roger is as qualified as anyone.

Wilma Stack spoke and said her grandfather developed this and the stream used to go behind her three lots and into the culvert. She said in 2006 when the shed was put in the stream was filled in and the drainage was relocated, and now it is flooding. She said the survey is incorrect and in 2015, the garage was put in. She said the land behind the garage is elevated and the stream was blocked. She said that all the water coming from the stream floods her three lots. She said the other stream that flowed into the pipe has now been blocked. She handed out pictures of the water flooding into the road. She showed the lot that was approved to be built on a few weeks ago and the flooding. She said the water table from that lot makes the lot under water and as much as 6 inches of water, including the septic. She said Mr. Richardson has made a swamp out of her three lots. She said a simple solution would be proper grading to the culvert. She said blocking the stream made this happen and she hopes someone will look at that. She said she had a civil engineer check this out. She said Mr. Richardson has ruined the land and she can’t believe an engineer would put their stamp on a plan like this. She said this is a problem for everyone concerned.

Lou Stack spoke and said that he was reiterating what his wife had said and that Mr. Richardson has caused the problem. He said that the land was always dry, and people had asked to buy it. He said that the pitch needs to be redone so that the water flows to the culvert. He said that he doesn’t care how it’s done, but this is an eyesore to a well-maintained community. He said he never was notified when Mr. Richardson built the garage in 2016 and he understands that the permits are done through the Code Enforcement Officer. He said it only makes sense to take care of this problem now. He said the issue with the culvert happened when the shed was built, and the water was redirected. He said he feels if they had been notified in 2016, this problem wouldn’t have happened.

Loren Starcher says he is a Board member of the Whites Point Homeowners Association and would like to see the problem taken care of. He said in order to relocate this drainage, the homeowner needs to get permission from their Homeowners association. Mr. Brown asked if the homeowner needs their permission and Mr. Starcher told him before the road opened.

Robert Ronfeldt asked if the pipe would be connected to what is there now? Mr. Brown told him that the old pipe would be abandoned and a brand-new pipe from the point of origin to the lake. Mr. Ronfeldt felt increasing the diameter would take care of the problem. Wilma Stack said that the culvert they use now will not be used and will be relocated. She said the land goes up where they are relocating the culvert to and would need to be lowered. Mr. Brown said it starts in the same location and flows to the lake. Mrs. Stack said she has been there for a long time and the culvert always worked efficiently. She said she hopes the water flow will be as great as what the water flow has been before the back lot was worked on. Mr. Brown asked if the permit before the Board is just for the front lot and Mr. Hastings said that there are two separate lots. Mr. Hastings said that the back lot raises some questions regarding this application.

Mr. Brown asked if Richardson’s might be up for doing some regrading on the back lot. Mr. Roma said they had discussed fixing the situation last year as a separate item and then do the house later. He said that before they do anything, this needs to be taken care of.

He said the drainage is a major part of this project and the construction of the drainage plays into this as far as moving the house. Mr. Roma said they are committed to working with everyone involved to correct this drainage problem. He said he doesn’t know if this is totally on the Richardson’s or if this is a shared cost between the Richardson’s and the Road Association. He said the inlet will drop a few inches and everything should drain properly. Mr. Brown asked if they needed to be concerned with just this property or both properties.

Mr. Stack said that Mr. Roma went there today, and the water was flowing directly through the culvert. He said that if the water drains like it should, then it’s fine. If it hits the top of the culvert, it leaves the other lots flooded. Maurie Hill spoke and said she had no vested interest, but the Board needed to consider how people are being affected by this and make sure the problem is fixed. She said she is appalled that all this drainage is going back into the lake and is it polluted. She said that the Water District needs to look at this too. Mr. Brown said that Portland Water District knows about everything around the lake.

The public hearing was closed with a motion made by Mr. Struebing and seconded by Mr. Walton. All in favor. Mr. Brown asked if a site walk was wanted. The Board voted to do a site walk on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 4:00pm. Mr. Roma said that all the trees to be removed were marked, the septic field will be marked out as well as where the house will sit on the lot. Mr. Hastings said that he would ask Mr. Mosley to look at the plans and be at the site walk if he can. Tabled to the February 06, 2023 Planning Board meeting.

• Standish Fish & Game Club, 48 Middle Road, Map 9, Lots 8 & 9-Site Plan Application to build a gun range and club house.

Beth Brown-Malia, President of the Standish Fish and Game Club, was present to represent the club. Also present was James Seymore from Sebago Technics. Beth read what the club’s mission statement says and what they are all about. She said the Club currently has 30 active members. Beth said they initially submitted this application in 2021. Beth said they have worked hard to be here and feel they have met all the criteria they have been asked for. She said that she realizes that the sound concerns are the highest priority.

Bill Moore spoke and said he is a retired professor from USM, a hunter safety instructor and an approved NRA range safety officer as well as a member of the Standish Fish & Game Club. He said one of his areas of expertise is sound and its impact on a neighborhood. He read the Good Neighbor Policy that the Club has in place and what it is all about. Bill says he has been measuring the sound and has a sound meter device running. He said his output is running around 75dba’s with a peak of 85dba’s. He said he has been monitoring the readings with crowd discussions and the reading was around 68 with a max reading of 78. He said the Town standard is 65dba and anything over that is in violation of the ordinance. Bill said they will be doing a lot of testing and certifying guns that can meet the 65dba.

Beth Brown-Malia said they are referencing Mr. Rand’s sound study and haven’t included his complete study, as it is very long. She said they went to another club and tested the worst possible firearms for sound and based on Mr. Rand’s testing, Beth said they could not hit the 65dba’s that is in the Town ordinance. She said the lower caliber firearms sometimes emit the less dbas. She said that Mr. Rand determined that the lower caliber firearm would submit 50dba’s at the property line. She said they have been told by a couple of their neighbors that if they could meet the dbas, those people would have no problem with their range. Beth said that currently there is no outdoor range that can meet the requirements that the Club has put on themselves.

Jim Fickett spoke and said he is a member of the Club and a registered Maine Guide. He said that the Club hired Sebago Technics to do the designs of major sound and safety. He said there are two ranges that are oriented away from the road, one being 50 feet and the other 100 feet long. He said each range has a three-sided covered shooting shed that mitigates the sound, they each have a roof overhang and are insulated against sound. He said the partial steel roof has an overhang and you cannot see blue sky, and this helps with any projectiles and stopping them from going outside the shooting range. Jim said that each shed has safety lanes in place that are by NRA safety guidelines and there are also 8-foot berms that would be constructed on each side with the berm at the end being 20 feet high. He said berms are constructed for safety and for sound mitigation as well as for protection. He said the end berm would be a particular berm made of fine sand for lead retrieval. Jim said that Sebago Technics has done a wetland study and no vernal pools were found.

Jim Seymore from Sebago Technics and said they were retained to do a site and grading plan. Jim said the shooting lanes are oriented away from the road with at least an 8-81/2 berm. The backstop berm has no vegetation and is left that way specifically for the removal of any lead and debris. Jim said the entry is through a current existing driveway off from Middle Road. He said they have also added parking spaces, a septic (300 gallons per day) and the club house, also the well. He said there is a small wetland that is below the DEP regulations, and they have kept at least 75 feet from each wet area. He said the berms were constructed with some feedback from the Planning Board.

Jaimie Fickett said she is a Club member and a Registered Maine Guide. She said the range is being built with the safety of everyone in mind and the Club does a lot within the community as far as being charitable. She said that they are asking for the opportunity that meets all Town requirements and they have spent countless hours working on this. Jaimie said that she knows that no matter what they say and do, there will be others that are against any kind of shooting range. She said that the Club feels as landowners they should be given a chance as long as they meet all requirements. She said that preserving natural resources and the environment is all part of what they do. And part of their mission statement. She said the Club feels they have done all that was asked of them to do and have met the requirements of the Town.

Beth Brown-Malia asked how the Board wanted to handle questions? Mr. Brown said they would ask for feedback from the Planner, questions from the Board, if they have any, and then open it up for public comment. Mr. Hastings said that they have given an overview of what they are looking to do, and he said the only major issue he sees is the Fire Department wanting a turnaround at the end of the parking lot. Mr. Hastings said the other major issue is noise and what they are proposing will work. Mrs. Brown- Malia said they can address their plan to include a turnaround as needed.

Mr. Walton said he was wondering about the sound not being addressed in the packet as that seems to be the biggest problem. He also asked why the smaller caliber weapons were not tested and Beth said they were testing the worst-case scenario and didn’t think about it. She said it was an honest mistake and they should have but there is enough information that the sound engineer said they would likely hit 50 dbas. Mr. Walton asked about the shooting huts and walking onto the range, can they just walk onto the range if they wanted to? Mrs. Brown-Malia said that they have a gate that is always locked. She said that you cannot just walk onto the range. She said they need to have access to get to the berms to gather the lead from shooting. Beth said the Board works like the Planning Board. She said it took them awhile to gather needed information and the Good Neighbor Policy.

Beth said there are three things in front of the ordinance committee concerning sound and the shooting range. One is for sound duration, one is to make sure that personal property owners are below 65 decibels (these will be excluded.)She said the club would have to stay below 65 decibels. Mr. Hastings said they are working on shooting range ordinances, and it is a work in progress. Mrs. Whittemore asked Beth if they plan on testing the lower caliber firearms and she said yes. For it to be approved, it must be tested.  Beth said they would like to build their shooting shed first and then test the lower caliber firearms. Mr. Walton asked about hours of shooting and why they need all those hours. Mrs. Brown Malia said that it should not matter if they are below 65 decibels. She said there are gravel pits in the area that are working 6 days a week and creating way above 65 decibels. Beth went over the sound measurements they have, and they are 1800 feet from Oak Hill Road.

Mr. Walton asked if they were going to improve Middle Road or who would improve it? Mrs. Brown Malia said that it’s a shared road, so she believes that it would be a shared expense. Mr. Hastings said the Fire Department would like to have the road improved so they can get emergency vehicles in. Beth said they would work with the Town to grade the road and bring it up to Town standard.

Mr. Hastings said the gravel pits use of the road would have been more extensive as they would have had to pay an impact fee. He told Mr. Walton that the road being done is in the Club’s submitted plan. Mr. Struebing asked what land use ordinance we have for range materials and Mr. Hastings said that the Club would have to give them a list of materials they are going to use in best practices. Mr. Hastings said Middle Road has been discontinued by the Town and that makes it private. Mrs. Whittemore asked if the Board could check with the Town Attorney on the Town’s liability with the range. Mr. Struebing said the Board judges everything on what is in the ordinance and we have nothing for shooting ranges. Beth Brown Malia said the standards they are using have been put forth by the NRA. She said the NRA is thorough with what they put out as far as ranges and range guidelines. She has a range source book that she will forward to Mr. Hastings. Mr. Struebing said he doesn’t feel comfortable with this and there are no ordinances around it.

Public Hearing: (3 minutes to speak) *** Club refers to Standish Fish and Game***

• Joseph Wassock-Pond Road. Is in support of the range. Safe and desirable outcome.
• Gail Ketch- Oak Ridge Drive. Is opposed to the range. A huge gunshot issue already, property values going down. To close to neighbors.
• Ken Nelson-565 Middle Road. In support but has some concerns. Served in the military. Has heard nothing but shooting since he came here, concerned about the noise. Berm should be 20 feet all the way around.
• Bill Moore said they did baseline studies a year ago and they were submitted. The loudest gun was 94 dba’s, 240 feet behind the shooter. He said they did other readings with no sound mitigation, and they were within the ordinance. They went to Job Road and had the same guns fired and they were below 40 dbas. They went to a range that was pretty closed in and the Club feels that doubling the wall inside and a roof overhang, they can do this.
• Dan Hawxwell- opposed to range. Said he has been talking about this for a year and the sound meter they have is not reputable. He urges the Board not to believe one thing the Club has to say as he has never found a range that was below 70dba’s in this Country.
• Ken Nelson- knows where range is. The road is not great.
• Jim Ossterider- was a former FBI agent. Has been to many ranges. Lives on Dale Lane about ¾ of a mile away from Middle Road. Constant shooting all around them. Even if decibel levels meet the threshold, if many are shooting at once, its higher. Son runs through woods around there, how will they protect others, even with berms ? Safety and liability should be taken seriously. Listens to gravel crushers every day.
• Nathan Dunlap-6 Standish Glen. Said that he is not a member but is in favor of this range being built and used. Has been looking for a safe and reputable place to shoot and has had to go out of Town. Hopes it will happen.
• Keith Zaherick-456 Oak Hill Road. Gun range will be in his back yard. Said he is no noise expert, but feels it will infringe on the peace and quiet of his property.
• Ross Bellino-Turkey Farm Road- feels that all of Clubs sound engineers should be discounted and let the Town chose someone that is an expert.
• Brenda Glasgow-Oak Hill Road. Said that she is against it and less than ¾ mile from proposed site. She said she would like to know the standards for building this as she is not confident in the proposal. She said they need an expert for sound. Likes her peace and quiet. Said she has listened to her share of noise and guns. She does not see this diminishing the noise as she hears gravel crushers, dump trucks and other things seven days a week. She would prefer an indoor range. Said to start a Go Fund Me Page to raise the money. She said they have the right to enjoy the peace and quiet as well as their homes and their yards. Information from Club is inadequate.
• David Irish- Oak Hill Road. Said he is the closest to anyone in the room to the proposed site. Said growing up there were never guns fired unless it was hunting season, but he hears them a lot now. He said the design looks good, but Sundays should be out. He said he likes the peace and quiet and he supports rod and gun clubs as they do a lot of good things
• Sandra Thurston-Oak Hill Road. She said that the gun club’s property has things going on at night and is very noisy. She said this will affect their right to quiet, peace and enjoyment of their home and their property. She doesn’t want to hear constant gunshots.
• Beth Brown Malia-The Club has cameras on the property and their cameras show nothing. She asked if people did hear and think it’s on gun club property, please call her and let her know. She will have it checked out.
• Marissa Cutter-Oak Hill Road. Said that she is a quarter mile and is a lifelong resident. She said she leaves Town so her kids can play sports as it is not offered here. She has watched every single meeting and she doesn’t like the idea of this for over a year now. She said people who are not directly impacted do not care about this. A year ago, there were 30 residents of Oak Hill Road and they do not want this outdoor range. She said she has a petition of 237 residents who do not want this and more than half reside less than a mile from the land. She said they all appreciate the Club and all they do. She said they sponsor a Little League team besides doing other things. She said she would like to request that this be the last meeting with this on the agenda and for the Board to listen and put a stop to this application. She said they have the right to peace and quiet in their homes as well as all others.
• Carolyn Biegel-Ossipee Trail E. She said that she feels there are standards the Board needs to make sure are met. She said the Club focused on Standard I and it’s up to the applicant to prove this. She said she feels there is nothing in the site plan addressing the noise issue. She says that we all hear gunshots from a long distance away. She says that it is hard to pinpoint what neighborhoods this would impact. She said the noise is a nuisance and detrimental to the Town. She said that noise drives people to do things they should not do as they are fed up with it. She said she feels the hours are too long and it is asking too many people.
• Derek Mustekis- Oak Hill Road. He said he is in support of the club. He has young daughters that hunt and this would be a way to get educated about guns and safety. Said current decibel rating is unreasonable and should be reconsidered.
• Harry Simpson-Florence Lane. Asked how many shooting lanes are in each, Mrs. Malia said there are four. He said some dba ratings are not accurate and the NRA could put the shooting range well below 65 decibels.  He said that there is more of a chance with someone getting hurt in a gravel pit than on a shooting range.
• Mike Lyons-Sand Beach Road. Loves to hunt and fish and it’s a family affair with safety being a huge issue. Said people living close by would have a lot of noise, have an indoor range not an open one. What about people in the neighborhood years from now?
• Wilma Stack-Whites Bridge Road. Loves to hunt and goes to an indoor range to sight her rifle in. No stray bullets and the safest is an indoor range.
• Deb Boxer- Cole Hill Road. A Board member but against this project. Interrupt the quality of life and a destructive project. Gravel pit by house where guns were used all the time. The Sheriff called many times and the Town. Range not needed as other ranges are close by and this group can drive to them.
• Maurie Hill- 20 Southridge. Said until an ordinance is in place, needs to be put on hold. Others will be disrupted and other housing developments are very close to this site.
• Robin Norton- Dolloff Road. She said we currently have an ordinance for dogs barking and roosters crowing for more than 30 minutes. Said that the Club needs to prove themselves before being allowed to build or operate. Tired of listening to noise all of the time and unnecessary.
• Tony Folsom-Dolloff Road. Spoke about ballistic land, how can the Club afford this? No mention of the environment and the water. Indoor range only in a residential zone, how can the Board allow a commercial business ?
• Kim Lalonde Cucco- Easy Street. Affects a lot of people that live nearby. Hears gunshots over and over, animals are affected. Does not want the dirty noise.
• Ross Bellino-Turkey Lane. Asked how many Club members, how many live in Standish and how many are a half mile from this site?
• Tony Folsom- Said high power rifles can shoot over a berm and travel up to 4 miles. He said the Good Neighbor Policy is all well and good, but he has heard members say they were going to shoot on the property whether they were approved or denied. He said they will not be good neighbors to the Fish and Game Club.

Beth Brown Malia said that they are not looking for any exceptions and will meet the ordinances. She said they hired a sound engineer, Robert Rand and he was the one that did the modeling for them. She said that all of the shote people are hearing are not coming from their land and the loud shots people are hearing and sounds is tannenite. Beth said she has lived most of her life but does live in another Town but will be a resident soon she hopes and owns property here. She said that she hunts in Standish as do others and there are no berms. Mr. Struebing made a motion seconded by Mr. Walton to close the public hearing. Mr. Brown said we are at the nine o’clock stop time and would like to table this.

Mr. Struebing said he would like to make a motion to deny this application based on no ordinances to support a shooting range and Mr. Walton seconded his motion. Mr. Hastings said before this is denied, they need to find a reason according to performance standards. He said they are here as a Board to determine how this meets the site plan criteria and the performance standards. He said if the Board is going to deny them, they need a denial that will stand up in court and this motion does not do that. Mr. Struebing said there are no ordinances to talk about for anything and nothing in place. Mr. Brown suggests aa workshop so they could craft what they need to. Mr. Hastings said they can continue this to the next meeting and ask for any other information they feel is needed. Mr. Struebing said they need legal representation, and he struggles with this and he can’t make a decision when there are no guidelines. Mr. Brown said the fire lane needs to be addressed. He also said the berms meet the NRA standards and Mrs. Brown Malia said she can furnish those to Mr. Hastings via a pdf.

Mr. Struebing said they can’t make a decision. Mr. Brown said that we make decisions a lot based on what information is submitted and meets the standards. Carolyn Biegel said that there are standards and Mr. Brown said the Board has not gotten that far yet. Mrs. Whittemore said that as a Planning Board member she has a responsibility to look at this but they can’t deny it on the basis that people do not want it. She says the Board and she have a responsibility to look at everything and make an informed decision. Mr. Brown said that as far as their petition goes, that goes to the Council to get an ordinance changed and not the duty of the Planning Board. Mr. Hastings said the Ordinance Committee has been working on ordinances for shooting ranges. He said the Town Council had the opportunity to enact a moratorium on shooting ranges and they voted not to. Mr. Hastings said the Board acts on ordinances in making a decision that have been adopted by the Town.

Mr. Hastings asked what the Board would like to do. Mr. Brown said they need the results of the lower powered guns and see what the decibels are for those? Mrs. Whittemore said she would like to see the work being done on decibels. Mr. Hastings said the Board needs more information on the lower caliber firearms and multiple shots being taken, more information on a turnaround for emergency vehicles and for the Town to seek legal counsel for liability. Mr. Struebing withdrew his motion to deny the application. Mr. Brown said he would like the NRA standards to be available. Mr. Walton said if they open this to public comment again it will be a long meeting and the same things as tonight. Mr. Brown said that all the information will be needed before the meeting. Mrs. Brown Malia sent a pdf to Mr. Hastings about the NRA standards.

A motion was made by Mr. Struebing to table this application and seconded by Mrs. Whittemore. Needed will be the lower decibels reading, the updated site plan and the NRA standards for shooting ranges. Meeting adjourned at 9:21pm.